A man was wounded early Saturday in downtown Warrenton when the firearm he was carrying went off during a police stop connected to a reported domestic assault, according to authorities. He was hit in the thigh and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The call came in around 12:10 a.m., and officers pulled over a car near Bragging Rooster Beer & Mead on Main Street, where they found the alleged assailant in the back seat, CBS17 reported. Police say an officer spotted a gun in the man’s possession and that the weapon discharged during the encounter, striking him. The department said the officer did not fire his own weapon.
Bragging Rooster is a downtown taproom and gathering spot on Main Street; the business's website highlights its location and regular community events, which helps explain why the police response drew quick attention from nearby residents. With the incident unfolding in such a central spot, bystanders and their phones were close at hand, and footage of the aftermath later made the rounds online.
SBI to lead independent review
Warrenton police asked the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to assist with an independent review of the shooting. The agency’s website notes that the SBI is frequently called in by local departments to provide impartial investigative resources and crime-scene support across North Carolina, including collecting and analyzing evidence in cases involving serious injuries.
Scene footage and downtown fallout
Social media video from the scene shows a man lying in the middle of a downtown street after the gun went off. In the immediate aftermath, nearby Time Out Sports Bar announced it would be closed that night and remain closed the following week, CBS17 reported. The outlet also quoted the SBI as saying it had “no additional information was available at this time.”
